Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Reports have said the iCloud service will scan and mirror users' iTunes libraries, offering access to content in the cloud. It's likely that a movie and TV show streaming service would work in a similar fashion, verifying what content a user owns and grating them access to their library from any Internet-connected device.

Originally Posted by beakernx01

I've always wondered what would happen if the record companies could scan my library and then request proof that I still have the CD I bought in 1992 that I ripped but no longer have because I...er...uh, "lost" it. That and a whole bunch more that were...ya know...stolen from my dorm room in college. And what if stuff I have from 20 years ago was ripped at a lower bit rate? Are they going to charge me to stream their higher bit rate version from the cloud? Or assume that I stole it?

In the P2P arena, record labels just nailed downloaders for every track they downloaded. What's to stop them from releasing their army of lawyers on cloud users?

Serious questions, no?

Originally Posted by beakernx01

I've always wondered what would happen if the record companies could scan my library and then request proof that I still have the CD I bought in 1992 that I ripped but no longer have because I...er...uh, "lost" it. That and a whole bunch more that were...ya know...stolen from my dorm room in college. And what if stuff I have from 20 years ago was ripped at a lower bit rate? Are they going to charge me to stream their higher bit rate version from the cloud? Or assume that I stole it?

In the P2P arena, record labels just nailed downloaders for every track they downloaded. What's to stop them from releasing their army of lawyers on cloud users?

Serious questions, no?

Originally Posted by beakernx01

I've always wondered what would happen if the record companies could scan my library and then request proof that I still have the CD I bought in 1992 that I ripped but no longer have because I...er...uh, "lost" it. That and a whole bunch more that were...ya know...stolen from my dorm room in college. And what if stuff I have from 20 years ago was ripped at a lower bit rate? Are they going to charge me to stream their higher bit rate version from the cloud? Or assume that I stole it?

In the P2P arena, record labels just nailed downloaders for every track they downloaded. What's to stop them from releasing their army of lawyers on cloud users?

Serious questions, no?

Originally Posted by beakernx01

I've always wondered what would happen if the record companies could scan my library and then request proof that I still have the CD I bought in 1992 that I ripped but no longer have because I...er...uh, "lost" it. That and a whole bunch more that were...ya know...stolen from my dorm room in college. And what if stuff I have from 20 years ago was ripped at a lower bit rate? Are they going to charge me to stream their higher bit rate version from the cloud? Or assume that I stole it?

In the P2P arena, record labels just nailed downloaders for every track they downloaded. What's to stop them from releasing their army of lawyers on cloud users?

Serious questions, no?

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

In addition to agreements with music labels, Apple is also said to be pursuing licensing deals with movie and TV studios that would allow users to remotely store and stream copyrighted video content via the forthcoming iCloud service.

The information comes from two sources allegedly involved in the ongoing negotiations, who spoke with Greg Sandoval of CNet. The report published on Monday claims Apple has "stepped up" its efforts to convince major Hollywood film studios to issue licenses that would allow customers to store content on Apple's own remote servers.

Apple is said to have been in discussions with studios for over a year, but has not yet signed a deal. The company confirmed earlier Tuesday that it will unveil its "upcoming cloud services offering" dubbed iCloud at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference Keynote, but offered no other details.

One major snag said to be in the way of a deal with Hollywood studios is the so-called "HBO window," in which three of the top six film studios have a distribution deal with HBO. Under the terms of that deal, when a movie premieres on HBO, other outlets must halt sales or distribution of the title.

Industry insiders reportedly expect that an agreement will be reached to address the HBO window issue, though whether that deal can be struck by the June 6 keynote remains to be seen. Still, it's possible that Apple could announce agreements with the studios that are not affected by the HBO window: Disney, Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures.

Apple is believed to have reached agreements with three of the four major music labels, as Sony Corp., EMI Group and Warner Music Group are said to be in agreement. Universal Music Group, the largest recording company, is rumored to be close to a deal.



Reports have said the iCloud service will scan and mirror users' iTunes libraries, offering access to content in the cloud. It's likely that a movie and TV show streaming service would work in a similar fashion, verifying what content a user owns and grating them access to their library from any Internet-connected device.

Sources have told AppleInsider that iCloud will be a successor to the current MobileMe service, which offers cloud-based syncing of contacts and calendars for $99 per year. The new service will be unveiled alongside iOS 5 and Mac OS X 10.7 Lion by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs next week.

Originally Posted by EmperorsNewClothes

Maybe I am missing something here, but I don't want to store music or video "in the cloud".

Disk space/flash memory is cheap and is getting cheaper all the time. Soon we'll have mobile devices with more memory than we know what to do with. Why do I need to stream something from a digital locker? My phone/iPod IS my digital locker. If I lose it, it's all backed up on my Mac.

Before too long there will be mobile devices with a terabyte of storage on them. For 99% of people that is more than enough.

Honestly, the whole cloud service is a complete and utter waste of time and money. I already have Dropbox if I want to store documents or put photos online and that is FREE. I used to have iTools, then .Mac and that was a complete waste of money. Unless iCloud is free, I fail to see how it will be worth having. Even then, I can't see myself using it.